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Levern Spencer, left, and Chaunté Lowe.

Each athlete’s journey in pursuit of Olympic glory is unique, but the paths taken by American high jumper Chaunté Lowe and her Saint Lucian counterpart, Levern Spencer, have taken an uncanny number of the same twists and turns.

Lowe, 32, is a 2006 graduate of Georgia Tech, where she was a six-time All-American.

Spencer, 32, is a 2007 alumna of the University of Georgia, where she was a four-time All-American.

Both women qualified for Saturday’s Olympic final with a leap of 1.94 meters, the height that all 17 women needed to advance.

“Today in terms of performance it was great because it’s a season’s best, and it’s the number one jump in the world so far, so I’m pleased with that … I’m really excited,” Spencer told St. Lucia News Online. “I’ve competed at Drake like several years, and I’m always like second or third, so finally I’m first this time, so I’m really excited for that.”

At the time, Spencer’s jump of 1.95 meters at the Drake Relays equaled the best height in the world this year, putting her in a tie with a number of women, including Lowe.

Lowe now owns the highest jump of the year with a leap of 2.01 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, in July.

Lowe did not make the finals in Athens in 2004, but came in sixth in both the 2008 and 2012 Games. The latter performance came as a significant disappointment, as Lowe had arrived in London as one of the favorites.

“I was crushed,” she said in a Refinery29 video. “I wanted to take off my shoes and throw them in the crowd and retire from track forever. Because I didn’t do that … I’ve had so many amazing blessings that would have not happened had I quit.”